Driving mechanism



Patented Sept. 2l, 1926.

UNITED STATES `PATENTv OFFICE. l WILLIAM J. EICHENBERG, OF TOLEDO, 013210,. ASSI-GNOB '.110 INUSTFIAL RESEARCH CORPORATION, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION l. OF DELAWARE.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

Application filedA July 22, 1918, Serial No. 246,137. Renewed September 6, 1923.Y

This invention relates to amotor drive applicable in the driving mechanism intermediate the motor and internalcombustion en' gine, and has specific adaptation when" em#` ployed for starting purposes. l.

The principal object of the invention is to ltilize a type of gearing wherein there is a positive` drive relationship betweeny the va-k rious parts, and wherein the resilient elements are employed without inserting them in the direct line of power transmission.

Another Objectis to provide means whereby connection and disconnection with the driving gear and the drivenelement is made in an entirely automatic way.

A further object 1s lto provide means for uvercoining thevmisengagement of the mov-v lble parts when starting, thereby preventing breakage. c l l Further objects, and objects relating to Yeconomies of manufacture and details of construction7 will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow. p Y

A structure constituting a preferred embodiment .of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawingsyforming'a part of this specification, in which? c Figure I shows the driving mechanism partly in section with the elements in disengagement. e

Figure II shows a similar view in longitudinal section. y

Figure III shows a view of the drive in operative position with parts thereof in section. v

Figure IV is a cross-section through the resilient elements of the drive, taken on line IV-IV of Figure II, and,

Figure V is a cross-section taken along the lineI V-V of Figure III.

Similar reference numeralsrefer to similar parts throughout the several views, and the sections are taken looking in lthev direction of the small arrows.

' Referring to thenumbered partsv ofthe drawing, I have shown a portionof the gear wheel 1, which may take the form of a fly wheel directly connected to the crank shaft of anv internal combustion' engine. Positioned adjacent the periphery'of thev gear `1 is an electric motor?, which is preferably of the series type!V 'The shaft 3 of 'this motor extends parallel with, and a short distance from the teeth ofthe gear wheel, and near its outer end, the shaft is cut withl a low ptched thread as indicated at 4; in Figure vuThere is mount-eden the motor shaft,v ad-l jacent the motor, 'a sleeve 5, the outer surface of which is threaded. `To the inner end of this sleeve is rigidly secured a terminal collar 6 and the outerend of the sleeveis fashioned so as to :form two outwardly eX- tending lugs 7 and 8position`ed on opposite sides of the sleeve, and having inner :partially fiat parallel surfaces and outer surfaces l'ying in the circumference ofla circle. Between the* endk lugs" 7 and 8 and the threaded portion of the sleeve, anannular flange 9 is formed integral with thesleeve for a purpose hereinafter tofb'e described.

'Driving relationship between the sleeve and the gear 1 irs-establishedby apinion 10 which has threadedengagement' with the sleeve, and is a'dapted'tohave axial movement along the sleeve into mesh with the l' gear 1. The inner ends of the Ygear vteeth meshment may be lmade between the. pinion and gear.v teeth. The` outer end of the pinion carries an annular flange 12, a part of which is out-turned andv thickened to form acounterweight 13. Means are provided for preventing the pinion from traveling inward along the thread Yfrom'the'out'er end of the sleeve, unless an appreciable rotational force is applied thereto. This means consists in a pin 14, which has bearing in an aperture formed inthe out-turned portion of the counterweight, and the end of which rests on the sleeve intermediate the flange 9 and the wall formed by `the termination of the threads. A small-stop 15 is formed on this pin, adjacent the sleeve, and a coil spring 16 is interposed on the ypin intermediate the stop and the counterweight surface.

inwardly on the sleeve, the pin will move iny to contact with' the outer end of one of the threads of the sleeve, so thatv unless there is considerable' vrotational force such as would be applied during. the starting operation, the pin will' fail to ride over the thread,

l and the pinion will remain at the outer end of the sleeve. i

Driving connection between the shaft and sleeve 5 is made through a plurality offintermovableelements, which in assembled formation. have the .appearance of a spool consisting of two conicalshaped end pieces with their conicalL portions connected by ahori' zontal portion. For ease in description, I shall describe the portion of this .drive at the end of the motor shaft, as the outer part,

and the portionV of the drive adjacent the *threaded engagement with the threaded end portion of the motor shaft. The conical sur.

. face of the-outer part and the middle part 17 have channels cutI in their surfaces at' opposite sides, as indicated at 22 and 23, so that the edge wallsof these slotslie inv parallel planes. kMounted vso as to have bearing at their. ends in thesechannelled portions 22 and 23 are blocks-24, the ends of= which are eut so as to be parallel with the basef walls of the channels. Sliding movementxof these blocks along the channels is resisted byi'a coiled spring 25', which tends to hold the blocks in position at points nearest the motor shaft. The inner end of the outer part. 2O is cut to form four teeth26, so positioned as to mesh with the bearing yslots'of the middle partsvl?, so that there is a positive drive connection between these two parts. Intermediate the flange 9 on the outer Vend of the sleeve 5 vand the middle part 17, is placedl a` coil spring 27, which tends to move the middle part outwardlyv from the sleeve. The outer part 2O is prevented from lscrewing out on the shaft bya terminal nut'28;

' In the operation of the driving mechanism, when the motor shaft has rot indicated by the curved arrow inl*l g .a and with the pinionfout ofengagement with the gear, the pinion begins to screw inwardly y along the thread ofthe sleeve Yuntil it has complete enmeshment with-therengine gear. At thispoint, the inner end ofthe pinion is in contact with the collar 6 on the. sleeve, and' since" it is prevented from further axial movement, the; piniontakes upthe rotational speed of the sleeve. Ina'smuchas the vinertia lof the is considerable,it is impossible that th-e geartale on immediately themotor speed, and unless meansV aregprovidedffor absorbing some of the rotational force of the motor shaft, serious breakage is bound movement of the-blocks continues until the inertia vof thev gear has been overcome, and the gear takes on a .rotational speed having a constant ratio to thatfoft-l'ie motor shaft. At this point, the engine is Adesigned-to start up under its own power, when the lgreatly increased speed of the enginegear-screwsthe pinion back out of mesh therewith', until the Apin lll in the counterweight ofthe pinion rides over-'the outer thread lof the sleeve. f

Incase the pinion' failsto meshf with the teeth of the gear l, its teeth abuttingfwith the gear teeth, the sleeve will slideoutwardly along' the motor shaft against the` compression of the spring27, thereby permitting a slight rotational movement of thepinion, sufficient to allow proper enmeshment thereof with the gear. From the-foregoing description', itis apparent that'the sole function of the spring i" 25 is to absorb the incident upon the sudden application offforce tothe engine gear, and that the spring does not, form an element in the direct line of power. tranennis.` sion,'intermedi'ate the motor shaft and gear. It should also'be appa-rent that connection of the pinion and gear and disconnectionfof these parts is made in an entirely automatic way, the movements being dependent upon the variations in the relative speeds of the movable parts. The position of the spring upon the drive enables replacement to be readily made and the type of spring employed permits of ease in manufacturing, assembly and cheapness in construction.

I am aware that the particular embodiment of my invention, as herein shown and described, is susceptible of considerable variation without departing from thespirit thereof, and, therefore, I desire to claim. the

same broadly, as well as specifically, as.in dicated by the appended claims.v r

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claimV as newand'desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A motor driveV for internal combustion engines, comprisingv in combinationan en gine gear; a starter shaft, one end; ofwhich is threaded; an. externallyl threaded sleeve on said. shaft; a middle driving'parton the engines, comprising in combination with an.

engine gear, a starter shaft, one end of which is threaded, an externally threaded sleeve 0n said shaft, a driving part on the shaft having driving connection with the sleeve, a second driving part having threaded engagement with the outer end of the shaft, the adjacent faces of said driving parts being conical, a slidable connection between said parts, a spiral band spring interposed between said driving parts and tending to force them apart, and an internally threaded pinion mounted upon said sleeve and adapted to engage said gear.

f 3. In combination with the toothed flywheel of an internal combustion engine, a pinion adapted to mesh therewith, a starter shaft threaded at one end and a driving connection between said shaft and pinion including a driving memberloose von the shaft, a second driving member having a threaded connection with said shaft, the adjacent faces of said middle and second driving members being conical, a connecting member between said driving members, adapted to have a slidable bearing on the conical faces thereof, and a spiral band spring interposed between said driving members. y

a. In a drive mechanism, the combination of a driveshaft threaded at one end; a nut in threaded engagement with the threaded Y member and nut.

the engine is being started. f

vber and nut and resilient means tending to the nut and sleeve; and a rigid connecting f element between the driving member and` nut, movable relative to both said member and nut.

7. In a drive mechanism for engines, the combination of an engine gear; a starter shaft; an externally threaded sleeve mounted on the shaft; a pinion on said sleeve having threaded engagement therewith and adapted to have axial movement into engagement with said gear; a second sleeve onsaid shaft having a 'sliding engagement with said first named sleeve; resilient 'means tending to force said sleeves apart; and a third sleeve on the shaft having means tending to force said second named sleeve toward said first named sleeve when 8. In a drive mechanism for engines, the combination of an engine gear; a starter shaft; an externally threaded sleeve mounted on the shaft; a pinion on said sleeve having threaded engagement therewith and adapted to have'axial movement into engagement with said gear; a second sleeve on said shaft having a sliding engagement with said first namedrsleeve; a spring mounted between adjacent ends of said sleeves and tending to force them apart; and a third sleeve on the shaft'having means tending to force said second named sleeve toward said first named sleeve when the resistance of the engine to rotation hinders relative movement kbetween, the shaft and first named sleeve. l

9. In a drive mechanism for engines, the combination of an engine gear; a starter shaft; an externally threaded sleeve mounted on the shaft; a pinion on said sleeve having threaded engagement therewith and adapted to have axial movement into en gagement with said gear; a second sleeve on said shaft having a sliding engagement with said first named sleeve; resilient means tending to force said sleeves` apart; and means tending to force said second named sleeve toward said first named sleeve when the free rotation of the latter ishindered. In testimony whereof,I aflix my signature. n

WILLIAMv J. EICHENBERG. 

